Debate contribution: Antisocial Behaviour: East Belfast
Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on .
- MLA
- Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 11 May 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Antisocial Behaviour: East Belfast
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5523851
Read the official Assembly record
Text
That is a really serious issue. We do not want to see young people partaking in that type of activity on the streets of Belfast or elsewhere. Over recent years, we have seen it flare up from time to time, and I am conscious of videos of incidents in Bangor, for example. This time, it was in east Belfast. It is fuelled by a range of things. It looks as though it was fuelled partly by alcohol and I am not sure what else. The key message is that such behaviour is not wanted on our streets. We have a number of really good community organisations working with young people, and there are really good results coming out of that. Through the funding streams in the Executive Office, we will do everything that we can to make sure that we have the right help and support in the right places; that, where we can, we are looking at diversionary activities; and that we are working to make sure that there is community resilience both in the general community and among our young people so that they do not get dragged into that type of behaviour. It is not acceptable; it is absolutely wrong; and it is not wanted by the communities in which it happens. Often, the problem is caused by people from outside those communities who come in. Just a few weekends ago, we saw it in Londonderry, when a small community in the Fountain was threatened. Such behaviour is not acceptable, and we should do everything that we can to support those communities.
265 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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